Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Blaise’s eyes didn’t leave mine. “I’m not leaving her.”
The doctor sighed, and I turned to look at him.
“I’ll pay attention,” I assured him.
He began asking me questions, and I answered them the best I could, only glancing over every few moments to make sure Blaise was still there. He never left.
When the doctor finished and the nurse took the IV out of my arm and detached all the equipment, I was tired. I felt my eyes closing and fought it. Blaise spoke to the doctor, and I began to drift off. His voice made me feel safe, and I knew he would stay while I slept.
“Door stays locked. No one comes down here,” Blaise said in a low voice.
I blinked, slowly opening my eyes to see the lights were off, except for the television and the bathroom. Blaise stood with a towel around his waist and his back to me as he talked on the phone.
“Nothing yet. I’ll make that plan when she’s better.” His bare shoulders lifted and fell in a sigh. “I’ll deal with Garrett.”
He ended the call and tossed the phone on the chair in front of him. Then, he turned around, and his eyes met mine. A slow grin stretched across his face as he walked toward me.
“You’re awake,” he said.
I could see the water droplets on his chest from his still-damp hair. He’d taken a shower. I thought about our last shower together.
“You need to eat,” he told me, coming to sit on the side of the bed. “Let me help you up so you can use the bathroom, and then we will get you some food.”
Both of those things sounded good. I started to sit up and winced.
“Easy, baby,” he said, reaching for me. “The strongest pain meds have worn off. We need you to take some of the new ones once you eat something.”
I let him help me up, and when I was finally standing, I looked down to see a soft, pale blue silk nightgown that came about mid-thigh on my body. I lifted my eyes back to meet his.
“I sent for some things,” he told me.
“From where?” I asked, knowing this had not come from the things Melanie had bought me.
“Paris originally, but it was from a boutique that I own. The manager sent over things in your size that I asked for,” he said.
“You own a boutique? With women’s lingerie?” I asked.
He smirked. “I own several things. I’ll give you a list later. Right now, I need you to stop swaying in place. My stress can’t handle it. Let’s stay focused.”
I let him walk me into the bathroom, but refused to let him watch me use the toilet. That was when I noticed I wasn’t wearing any panties. When I was finished, I stood up to walk out, and he was there again, holding on to me.
“Do I have panties here?” I asked.
“Many,” he replied.
“Could I put a pair on?” I asked.
He grinned. “Yeah, I’ll get that when you aren’t walking around. I’m not letting you go.”
When I was sitting on the edge of the bed, he told me to stay and went into his closet. Then, he came out with a pair of panties that looked like they matched this gown perfectly. He bent down in front of me, and I let him put them on since he seemed determined that I couldn’t.
I stood, and he slid them all the way up. His hands ran down over my butt before moving away.
“These are new?” I said to him.
“Yes, they are,” he agreed.
“Blaise?”
“Hmm?” he replied, moving me back to the bed.
“How many new items from Paris do I have?”
He shrugged. “A few.”
“As in three?”
“Or more,” he replied. “Now, stop grilling me on your lingerie and move back against the headboard. I’m going to have food brought to the top of the stairs.”
I obeyed.
Thirty-Three
It took a week of Blaise waiting on me, nurse visits, and rest before I felt normal again. My head was tender, but Tylenol killed most of that. Luckily, my stitches were low enough on the back of my head that the hair that had been shaved was underneath and not visible. My bruises were starting to fade on my body.
Blaise had gone upstairs an hour ago to handle some work. I had been upstairs once a day for the past four days. I had needed sunshine. Gina had been chatty and good company when Blaise left me with her the times he needed to leave the house.
Yesterday, I’d seen Gage and Huck for the first time since they’d saved me. My memories were all back from that night, and I knew now that they had clearly killed without remorse. They had found me. They had been trained at what they did, and this had nothing to do with horse racing.